vet recommendation--or know where Dr. Foster went?

Anyone have a good vet recommendation? We have a dog and a cat and we're natural health-oriented so we're looking for a vet that is down with that (won't give you a bunch of crap for not vaccinating, etc.). Our dog is kind of an old guy and has arthritis. We had been going to Acequia, but things seem to have changed there recently, and are now looking for a new place. Does anyone know where Dr. Allison Foster practices now? She was at Acequia but I don't think she is any longer. She was great with our big old doggie and our cat and we'd love to find her again.

I can't give any opinions about vets for 'natural' vets - but as an employee of an animal shelter I have to say that vaccinations for animals are an absolute must. Blue Cross Animal Clinic on Carlisle is fantastic - the vets seem to practice very conservatively (only intervening with medical care if absolutely necessary), and they are reasonably priced. STAY AWAY FROM THE VCA. the vets there work for commission, and their pay is docked if they don't talk you into 'extra' services at each visit. they are also ridiculously expensive.

I noticed Kerry Fitzpatrick/ABQ Petcare (mentioned by another poster) had something on their outdoor sign re "Is your pet over-vaccinated?" It gave me the impression they're open to testing the animal for blood levels of a vaccine instead of just giving a new vaccine. This stuck in my mind because we have a rescue dog that has probably been bombarded with vaccines by every new owner and she now has awful allergies.

People have recommended Cheryl Fox of Animal Kingdom Healthcare for more 'natural' pet care. She's in Edgewood (east mountain area) (505) 281-2345. You could try calling and ask what it means to her.

I, too, have a rescue dog that has terrible allergies. We were her 4th owner on her microchip in 2 years when we got her (no idea if she had owners before the microchip). My old vet in CA suspected her allergy issue was due to her over-vaccination. It's good to know that we're not the only ones dealing with that.

northview animal has been more than amazing to my Lucy, and B. They are very understanding and very open minded. I have pit's, and regardless the issue, mine or theirs, they have always taken care of us and it is always inexpensive (last check up and 3yr boosters, 25$)

Hello, this is actually my first post! I've lived in ABQ for a while, though, and I had 3 dogs (now 2); I have taken two of them to Aztec Animal Clinic on Coal (almost Zuni). It's not super cheap, but I had great experiences there with both doctors, particularly Dr. Sekerak, who put my Rottweiler down in October. Throughout that process they were nothing but considerate, understanding, and kind. They had a really positive opinion towards and open communication with my more holistic vet at All Creatures Healing Arts, Dr. Christine Wilson. Dr. Wilson was also very kind and gentle to my puppy, who was receiving acupuncture and chiropracty to deal with various issues (she was kind of a mess overall). She specializes in using Chinese herbs, chiropracty, and acupuncture. Here's her website: http://allcreaturesha.com/index.html and Aztec's: http://www.aztecanimalclinic.com/ .
Hope this helps!

I have been taking Scout, my 25 lb pug/lab mix, who I adopted from the Eastside Shelter in July, 2003, to the Adobe Animal Clinic, which is on 4th St about a half mile north of Montano. They have done a wonderful job, including a costly major surgery I had done when Scout ran away one time and got hit by some vehicle (I strongly suspect it was a motorcycle, because since then, he barks fiercely every time he sees one, which he never did before). They're a wonderful clinic. I highly recommend them. They did talk me into switching from Pedigree wet dog food, which I like and still use occasionally, because of its variety of meats, flavors, and formulas, to kibble, and Scout seems to be just as happy as before, though I wouldn't have guessed it before the switch.

When I was growing up, my family had an extremely negative experience at Adobe Animal Clinic. They talked us into a surgery for a dog when my parents were leaning against it, saying she had a 99% chance of living, and we'd be foolish not to do it, performed the surgery, called and told us she was coming out of the woods and we could pick her up the next morning.

The following day, the telephoned us, and said, "Are you Bailey's owner?" My mother said, "yes" and the voice on the telephone bluntly said, "She died last night. Now about your bill."

I'm glad to hear that it sounds like they've made changes, but I will never take any pet there after that experience.

My experience was this--they told me I was perfectly within my rights to have Scout put down under the circumstances. They did not push me either way. But I just felt a strong commitment to the dog, and wanted to spend the money to get him fixed up. All together, his medical expesnes from there and the emergency clinic where I took him the weekend before, when Adobe was closed for the weekend, was $1,700. But it was entirely my choice. No one pushed me into anything.